Customer Reviews

Garden Ruin (Dig)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Sometimes bands make a big change and it just leaves you thinking "Why, why?!" This time out, after a strong, pleasing EP with Iron & Wine, Calexico decided to emphasize the "north of the border" sound and de-emphasize the horns that gave them such a tantalizing Southwestern flavor. In writing, this sounds like a disaster - "the Calexico horns," as they are often called, are a key part of the appeal - but once the album was given time to find a spot in listeners' hearts, the more straight-forward pop-song format worked extremely well. Calexico still manages to write dark, dramatic songs with an emphasis on the cinematic and the exotic. The songs are just slightly more accessible this time around.

Wow, I can't believe all the harsh reviews of this album. I'm not a big Calexico fan by any stretch, but this was one of my favorite albums of 2006. It was one of those I had downloaded (legally) and kept listening to it so often that I bought a hard copy. Admittedly this does not sound anything like their previous work and it is a bit on the mellow country-rock tip, but anyone who likes say, Wilco, will have no trouble digging this.

gone, for the most part, are the cutting-edge/spaghetti western instrumentations that made previous calexico albums so fresh and wonderful; but that's not to say this is an unworthwhile recording. far from it. this stands on its own as a finely crafted set of rock/pop songs. no depression magazine selected this as the 13th best album of 2006 and i won't argue with that (it belongs 'somewhere' in the top 30 i would say). fans of the more adventuresome calexico albums might find this an unrewarding release, but take it for what it is: excellent songcraft. nothing wrong with that.

Calexico, while not mainstream, is well known for their wholly distinctive sound. I read an article about the writing of this album in No Depression a month or two ago and it sounded like fans of this eclectic band should ready themselves for change...and they were right! Make no mistake, Garden Ruin is as strong and interesting as any previous Calexico album and still contains a good amount of weird instrumentation, yet the songs feel really developed, more so even than previous albums, and Joey Burns' distinctive voice and excellent lyrics come more to the forefront on this album. I bought it yesterday right after work and listened to it three times in a row to really let it sink in and it is awesome!!! Some of my favorite tracks as of today are "Cruel," "Letter to Bowie Knife," and "All Systems Red" which features some glorious noise and Burns taking his voice to new levels. Check it out!!!!

I couldn't agree more with the review above by J. McManus Jr., but I guess my criticism is a little more strident. The Calexico that I have come to love - the creators of the outstanding 'Feast of Wire' and 'The Black Light', - have jumped on the last train to Blandsville! As J. McManus says (more or less), the unique and compelling eclecticism of this highly gifted band has largely evaporated into a vapid country-rock souffle that may well satiate the listeners to MOR-rock FM, but will leave many loyal fans wondering: "What the..?!" Even Joey Burns himself seems to be trying to inject some life into this moribund beast with his distorted, wailing vocals on "All Systems Red", but it just ends up sounding like the inflated histrionics of so many young American bands seen on forgettable video clips - or heard on teenage TV dramas. Sure, there are some redeeming moments (the uneasy atmospherics of 'Nom de Plume' could comfortably fit on earlier albums), but overall Calexico have lost their mojo on this one, and after catching the band live in Melbourne recently I was very disappointed with my purchase. That said, Joey and the gang - like any top-shelf band - are entitled to the odd 'dud' every so often. I can only hope that their next offering recaptures the brilliant, melting-pot edginess of prior efforts and that they jump on to a hot rail out of Blandsville pronto!

Its a shame when a band changes tact for the worse, but I cant help but give them credit for trying, what do you do when you've released 5 or 6 albums/ep's all along the same line and you start to get a touch bored with the style you've honed to perfection, you go in to the studio with a different producer and you experiment, this one "I think" fizzed and died soon after conception.
you can only hope that the next one rises from the bland ashes of this release.

I'll admit that this is my first Calexico album. With that said I think it's a great starting point. I plan on purchasing more of their albums probably working in reverse chronological fashion. Here's the deal: Garden Ruin is perfect for the spring. The songs are catchy and very listenable. It's been in my car cd player since I purchased it a couple of weeks back. I'm an old school R.E.M. fan and Garden Ruin rekindles some of that lovely atmosphere I felt on their earlier albums. I understand how older fans feel when their band releases a "sell out" album. But get over it. There's a severe dearth of good, non-pretentious rock music nowadays. Garden Ruin has managed to satiate me straight through over fifty times now. That's easily worth the money. If you're reading this review then just buy the album already.

I've played it many times and still can't recall a single tune. There just don't seem to be any memorable songs on it. A few nice moments, but mostly "strum and mumble" yawners.

This album shows the ability of Calexico to write an album full of beautiful, accessible pop songs. Most of their fans are probably not too interested in this talent, however. I think hanging out with Sam Beam has piqued their interest in crafting lyrically-driven tunes, but this album sadly leaves us fans with little of what we love about Calexico's soundscapes. I really wanted to like this album, but I find it boring and generic.

Interesting mix of music. I like most of the songs on this album, a bit on the roots side, kind of folky and kind of bluesy. They are not a commercial band but this is a very easy album to listen to. My favorite songs are "Yours and Mine", "Lucky Dime", "All Systems Red". I have been listening to this CD a lot and it has really grown on me.